I love food! More specifically, I love desserts.

Growing up my mom would make desserts for every holiday: a loaf of pumpkin spice cake for fall, angel food cake for the spring, cakes for our birthdays, and Christmas sugar cookies. But my favorite dessert is her Peppermint Bark. It is the perfect combination of chocolate and peppermint. I would always come home from school hungry for a snack, and there would always be a tin of peppermint bark sitting on the kitchen counter calling my name. The only thing holding me back from eating the entire tin in one sitting was that I had to share it with my siblings.

But the sad part is, this will be the first winter season that I won’t have peppermint bark with this being my first year in college. But just like Santa in the movie Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, I can’t give up, but instead, I will have to find my own way to do it. I asked my mom for the recipe and quickly realized… WAIT! I can do this in my dorm – AND YOU CAN, TOO! Overjoyed that I will taste peppermint bark this holiday season, I thought I might spread some holiday cheer by sharing this easy recipe with you.

Before you start you should know what ingredients, kitchen utensils, and appliances you will need.

Ingredients:

1 bag* (10 oz) of Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers
1 bag* (10 oz) of Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers
2 teaspoons of peppermint extract
1 6-pack of candy canes (or Peppermint Starlight Mints**)

*You can use 2 bags of each if you have a larger pan (such as 13x18), but if you use any smaller pan, make sure to wear a hard hat and be prepared to use a jackhammer when it’s time to break it up. (I’m talking from experience when I say that.)

**I recommend using Starlight Mints because candy canes may be more difficult to crush. The candy canes previously took way more effort to crush (I had to use my two muscles, a hammer, a wrench, a pot, a pan, two water bottles, barbecue tongs, and a million Ziploc Bags to go over the one before it with holes).

Appliances & Utensils Needed:

A Microwave
A Refrigerator
8x10 sheet pan (for thicker peppermint bark) or 9x13 (for thinner peppermint bark)
Parchment paper
A microwave-safe bowl (or glass measuring cup)
A spatula
A hammer (yes, a hammer)

Now that you have everything, let’s begin!

1. Dump the 10oz bag of dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the bowl into the microwave and melt the dark chocolate on 50% power for 30 seconds. Continue mixing to ensure all wafers are melted. Microwave for 15 seconds extra if needed. Repeat until fully melted. Add 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and stir.

2. Next, take your melted chocolate and pour it into a parchment-lined sheet pan (8x10 for thicker peppermint bark or 9x13 for thinner peppermint bark). Smooth out the chocolate with a spatula. Clean and reuse the spatula and set it aside for later.

3. With chocolate evenly spread, set the pan into the fridge or leave it out at room temperature to cool until the top is tacky (which will approximately take 10 minutes).

4. Congrats! You’ve made it to the fun part! Before the chocolate has fully hardened, place the candy canes (wrappers off) into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Place the bag on a different sheet pan and crush it with a hammer. But be careful not to hammer too hard! You’ll rip a hole in the bag (If this happens, just stick it in a new bag). Continue breaking it into small pieces. Too long will result in dust and too short will leave you with large chunks.

5. Next, you will repeat step #1, this time using the white chocolate wafers. (Microwave, melt, stir, add peppermint extract, stir again.)

6. Pour the white chocolate onto the tacky dark chocolate* and smooth the top layer again with a spatula.

   *If the dark chocolate is too hard, and not tacky, you can use a hair dryer to slightly melt it again. If it’s not tacky enough, the chocolates will split apart when it comes time to break the sheet.

7. Sprinkle the peppermint pieces onto the white chocolate before placing it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.

8. After 30 minutes the top should be fully hardened, crack the bark with clean hands, and place the pieces in an airtight (tin or plastic) container.

9. And the last, and easiest step, is to eat it!

Happy holidays and enjoy!
Be Well, Auburn.